Slave versus free

²¹ Tell me—those of you who want to be under the Law—don’t you listen to the Law? ²² It’s written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and one by the free woman. ²³ The son by the slave woman was conceived the normal way, but the son by the free woman was conceived through a promise. ²⁴ These things are an allegory: the women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, which gives birth to slave children; this is Hagar. ²⁵ Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and she corresponds to the present-day Jerusalem, because the city is in slavery with her children. ²⁶ But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. ²⁷ It’s written:

²⁸ Brothers and sisters, you are children of the promise like Isaac. ²⁹ But just as it was then, so it is now also: the one who was conceived the normal way harassed the one who was conceived by the Spirit. ³⁰ But what does the scripture say? Throw out the slave woman and her son, because the slave woman’s son won’t share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.^{[b] 31} Therefore, brothers and sisters, we aren’t the slave woman’s children, but we are the free woman’s children. 5 ¹ Christ has set us free for freedom. Therefore, stand firm and don’t submit to the bondage of slavery again.

Psalm 138

Of David.

²⁹ When the crowds grew, Jesus said, “This generation is an evil generation. It looks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except Jonah’s sign. ³⁰ Just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Human One^[a] will be a sign to this generation. ³¹ The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from a distant land to hear Solomon’s wisdom. And look, someone greater than Solomon is here. ³² The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they changed their hearts and lives in response to Jonah’s preaching—and one greater than Jonah is here.